Cultural respect describes the approach the ACI is taking to ensure we are an evolving and responsive organisation.
Statement of Commitment
The Statement of Commitment outlines the ACI’s commitment to strengthening our partnership with Aboriginal communities to improve the physical, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of Aboriginal people in NSW.
In this statement, we commit to:
- embed the Aboriginal Health Impact Statement when developing, implementing and reviewing programs
- continue to develop our approach to improving experiences of working with Aboriginal people and communities
- seek diverse Aboriginal perspectives to plan and inform our work
- acknowledge and respect Aboriginal cultural identity, practices and beliefs by learning from and working in partnership with Aboriginal people and communities
- uphold and apply cultural protocols such as ‘Welcome to Country’ or ‘Acknowledgment of Country’.
Framework for working effectively with Aboriginal people
The Framework for working effectively with Aboriginal people has been developed and will be implemented in a way that is respectful to Aboriginal people and communities.
Principles
- Trust and cultural respect
- Recognition of Aboriginal culture and traditions
- Holistic approaches to health
- Partnerships
- Participation of Aboriginal people in decision making
- Recognition of our role in social determinants of health.
Cultural Competency Action Plan
Our Cultural Competency Action Plan aims to support how the ACI will implement culturally competent processes into everyday work. The plan includes objectives and initiatives such as:
- advocating to increase Aboriginal membership of networks and network executives and/or effective input, involvement, consultation and provision of advice to networks and portfolios
- supporting the implementation of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy
- continuing cultural competency development activities
- supporting an effective application of the Aboriginal Health Impact Statement process
- evaluating and reviewing the action plan
- communicating the progress of plan to staff and stakeholders
- updating information available for ACI staff.
Aboriginal Employment Strategy
The ACI is committed to workforce diversity and has developed an Aboriginal Employment Strategy to increase the representation of Aboriginal employees in our organisation. We do this by:
- utilising specialised recruitment retention and strategies
- providing career development opportunities
- ensuring that we become an organisation which demonstrates a high level of cultural competence within our staff and the work we do.
This strategy focuses on four key priorities:
- Attracting Aboriginal staff
- Retaining Aboriginal staff
- Supporting career development and progression
- Improving cultural competency in the workplace.